This traditional watch manufacturer is the oldest manufacture of Haute Horlogerie, which was never sold by its founding family. Now as then the manufacture provides high-class mechanical watches with complications, precious jewelry watches and a jewelry series. Furthermore a successful series of sporty and elegant models could be established, with which the brand has created an unrivaled reputation. Audemars Piguet has won more awards at the prestigious Grand Prix d'Horlogerie de Genève than any other company, with 14 as of 2019.

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Successful beginnings

The only 24-year-old Jules-Louis Audemars and his friend, the 22-year-old Edward-Auguste Piguet, share a combined passion to build special watches. In 1875 they join together for a watch production facility in their locality, the Swiss Jura village of Le Brassus. They are still working in private homes, as is usual in many watchmaker workshops. In 1881 they jointly found the company Audemars Piguet & Cie., Manufacture d’Horlogerie.

How good the quality is which the two deliver, shows on their success: With models such as perpetual calendar, minute repeater or chronograph they have already made ​​a sensation, but at the World Expo 1889 in Paris they win even a medal of honor with a "Grande Complication", which unites all above functions in one product. In 1891 they manufacture the world's smallest movement with minute repeater ever before. The era of the wristwatch has not even started, and yet at Audemars Piguet there is produced already in 1892 the world's first wristwatch with minute repeater.

The Royal Oak writes watch history

The modern luxury watch Royal Oak, designed by Gérald Genta, has become the best known watch of the company. Because of its bold design it drew great attention on her appearance as the first luxury steel watch in the year 1972 and can now be regarded as a timeless icon of watch history.

The masculine sports version of the Royal Oak, known as "Royal Oak Offshore“, also became successful. By sponsoring the company with limited or special editions of this model gained much attention, for example in the fields of film (Arnold Schwarzenegger wore particularly made models of this series in the movies "End of Days" and "Terminator 3"), racing ("Juan Pablo Montoya“), as well as a sponsor of the team of the America's Cup champion Alinghi with the specially-built models ("Alinghi“, "Alinghi Polaris“, "Alinghi Team“).

The classic ranges

The classic series of the brand include the series Jules Audemars with round cases, Edward Piguet with rectangular shape, the Millenary series with elegant oval/elliptical casings and a rich variety of complications, with which the brand — alongside with Patek Philippe and A. Lange & Söhne — presents itself on top of the narrow summit of watchmaking excellence.

Tradition, innovation and the pursuit of excellence

As our journey through the abundant range of models has shown, Audemars Piguet is explicitly committed to a broad balance between tradition and innovation. While most companies in the Swiss watchmaking attribute more to one or more to the other side and this is reflected also in the image of the brands, at this manufacturer we are experiencing a remarkable synthesis of the two poles. Here modern sportiness and tasteful classical are not seen as opposites, but one persistently pursues the vision to unite both under the banner of excellence.

Audemars Piguet is one of only seven companies with over SFr1 billion in watch sales in recent years, along with Rolex and Patek Philippe among independents.